Almost from the moment Rand Paul was elected to the U.S. Senate, a team of advisers has been working over time to distance him from his father’s brand of unconventional politics — both in style and substance.
And they may be succeeding. GOP strategists say the junior senator from Kentucky has come a long way in shedding the eccentric label that dogged Ron Paul’s presidential efforts. Just last week, the younger man was dubbed one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
Rand Paul is different from Ron Paul. More specifically, Rand Paul is a much better liar than his father, he's much more convincing, and he's better at prevaricating and hiding his loathing for Those People. Paul the elder simply isn't very media savvy. He can't help but come across as a lunatic because he is one.
But Rand is different in one key way: he's learned how to disguise the philosophy he's literally named after by embracing the Tea Party as cover. It's a good match, and Rand uses it well. So it's no surprise then that Politico is writing a piece where conservative Republican pundits say Rand Paul isn't like his dad. It's a smokescreen that benefits both groups heading into the austerity era of America.
Rand has tried to maintain this delicate balance by latching onto hot issues at strategic times — like drones, immigration and gun control — that at once thrust him onto the national stage and also appeal to libertarians. “He’s either remarkably lucky or he instinctively knows how to effectively drive a media story,” said Brian Jones, a Republican political and communications strategist.
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